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F. 1. NEKARDA. SWIMMING AND LIFE PRESERVING BELT. AP PPPPPP 10N I9'.-

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FRANCIS J'. NEKARDA, 0F NEW YORK,N. Y.

SWIMMING AND LinE-Pnnsnavme BELT.

Speciiicaticn of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed January 14, 1919. Serial No. 271,030.

To @ZZ whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. NEKARDA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Swimming and Life-Preserving Belts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to `improvements in belts for supporting a person in the water so as to serve as a life preserver or as a support when one is swimming or learning to swim, and my invention is an improvement on the structure shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,066,217, dated July 1st, 1913. In manufacturing and using the device of the patent referred to I have been able to improve certain details of construction which make the belt safer, more durable, more easily applied, and which enables the belt to be more easily inflated or deflated. The object of my present invention is to improve the structure referred to, and make the belt generally better for commercial use. These improvements will be pointed out `later and will be clearly understood from the description which follows. i

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speci iication, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views. i

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the partly extended belt embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of a part of the belt taken from the inner side.

Fig- 3 is a broken detail longitudinal section.

Fig. 4: is a detail showing howatheouter and inner portions of the belt cover or fabric are united.`

Fig. 5 is a broken end view showing how the fastening straps are secured to the belt.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the valve for controlling the inflation and deflation, the valve being shown in open position.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the valve in closed position and also showing its means of attachment to the end fabric of the belt, and

Fig. 8 is a cross section through the end valve with the valve aperture open.

The belt 10 is in general like the belt in the prior patent referred to in that it isl a hollow collapsible belt which can be closed up accordion fashion into a very small com pass, thereby expelling the air, and which can be opened so as to permit the air to rush in and inflate the belt, and can be readily fastened to the body. It has ribs 11 preferably like those shown in the former patent, these being spaced apart to give strength and shape to the belt, and the frame formed by the ribs is covered by outer fabric `13, and an inside fabric 14 covering the fiat side of the belt which comes next the body of the wearer. The meeting fabrics 13 and 141 are united along the inside edges of the belt as shown at 15, and this in connection with the flattened inner sides of the ribs 11 gives a flat part which fits nicely against the body, and the middle portion is slightly narrowed as shown at 14a in Fig. 2, this part corresponding to the portion which comes under the arms. I have found by practical experience that the outer fabric 13 cannot be made all in one piece without seriously straining the fabric, and in fact the belt cannot be made to act properly and collapse and expand readily without strain unless it is made up in a series of segments 13 corresponding to the distance between the ribs 11 when the belt is expanded. `The meeting segments or sections 13 are united at their meeting edges as shown at 16, then at another point spaced apart as shown at 17, thus forming a channel 18 which receives the ribs, and in this way each 1ndividual section or segment 13 can be cut t0 the desired shape, fastened as specified, and united to the fabric 14 so as to form the sides of the belt, and the ends are closed 'by fabric 19 as shown. It will be understood `that the inclosing `fabrics of the belt must be of water-proof material or of material which is water-proofed either before or after `the belt is made, preferably the latter.

The belt is provided with end straps 2O and 21 attached respectively to the inner and outer edge portions of the belt, and these can be tied together in fro-nt of the wearer, or can be fastened in any other approved way. I have found, however, in practice that where the straps are sewn or otherwise attached to the exterior of the belt they are quite likely to tear or. become disengaged. To obviate this diiiculty I wind the inner ends of the straps Iaround the end ribs 11 and extend them out through the slit in the end fabric as' shawn in Fig; This@ can be easily done so as to make a Water-tight closure, and in this Way a very rm junction is made and the straps Will last as long as the rest of the belt.

Experience has shown 4also that the belt is better for having an easily controlled valve at one end, and it might be at both ends of the belt. I have designed a valve connection which can be easily operated When `the belt is on the Wearer or when it is olf, and while the invention is not limited tov this form of valve, I prefer it. As shown in VFigs. 6 to 8 the valve has a base or Washer 23 which tits against the endV fabric of the belt, and a similar avasher 24 is placed against the inner side of the fabric, and the two Washers riveted or otherwise fastened together. From the base or Washer 23 rises an yinnertube 25 which has apertures 26 therein, theseapertures bein preferably in the shape .of an arrow head. rin outer tube 27 ineloses the inner tube and is preferably provided with a milled rim 28 which enables it to turn readily and it has 4openings 29 also preferablyof arrow head shape Which are adapted to register With the openings 26 of Jthe inner Jmbe. A pin 80 extends through the outer tube preferably through the milled part 2S. and enters a transverse slot 31 in the inner tube which limits the movement of the outer tube and also causes the tube to hug snugly against the base 23, as the slot 3l is slightly inclined as shown in Fig. 6, and the slot is so placed that when the tube 27 is turned to the left to effect a closure, that is t-o bring the apertures 26 `and 29 out of registry, the walls of the slot Will exert a cam action on theI pin and make a tight closure, and also prevent the tube from turning too readily, although so far as this is concerned the tubes' can bemade to fit very nicely one over the other. Y

The improvements which I have described while very simple are very important in the construction of a belt of this character, as they tend to make it safer, which is the first consideration, and 'also to make it stronger and generally better.

When the belt is not in use the end portions are simply pushed toward each other so as to collapse the tube which can be readily done if the valve at the end is open, as the air will be freely expelled from the tube. When the belt is applied it is extended around the body beneath the arms, the straps 20 and the straps 21 fastened together, and if the valve is open, the air, in suilicient volume to inflate the tube enough to make it support the Weight of the wearer in the Water, Will rush in and the valve should be opened before the belt is applied and not closed till the belt is adjusted. lVhen it is applied the valve is closed by simply turning the tube 27, and obviously this can be. very easily done. The atmospheric pressure will fill the belt sufiiciently to support the wearer because the ribs l1 prevent the belt from collapsing and hold it open to the free inrush of air. It will be noticed `that the belt| is rounded at the corners and that the longitudinal seams 15 are raised from the flat side of the belt so that there are no sharp corners to hurt the wearer.

I claim:

1. As an improved article of manufacture. a belt of the character described comprising a framework of ribs spaced apart and a fabric covering for the ribs, the outer portion of the fabric being made up in segments cut to the desired Shape and fitting over the ribs at their meeting points.

2. A belt of the character described having a series of ribs spaced apart and ilattened on their inner sides. and fabric covering for `the ribs, the inner side of the belt being formed of a flat strip of fabric and the outer portion being formed of separate segments cut to the desired shape and fastened together.

3. In a belt of the kind described the coinbination with the ribs, of the fabric covering formed of a series of segments united at their edges and formed near said edges with channels through which the ribs extend.

4. A belt of the character described comprising ribs spaced apart, a fabric coveringr for the ribs, and fastening straps at the opposite ends of the belt, said straps beineattached to the inner and outer portions of the belt ends and the inner ends of the straps being Wound around the end ribs.

FRANCIS J. NEKARDA.

Witnesses:

` WARREN B. HUTCHINsoN,

LEON PLA'riN.

Gopiegof this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

